Carriage-pole.



No. 666,767. Patented Ian. 29, I901.

- l LF, MATTHAS.

CARRIAGE POLE.

V (Applicatiofi. flled'Apr. 30, 1900.) (No Iiodel.)

Sum/ WW *QMMHK NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

HERMANN FRANZ MATTHAS, OF DRESDEN, GERMANY.

CARRIAGE-POLE.

.J PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,767, dated January 29, 1901.

Application filed April 30, 1900. Serial No. 14,888. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMANN FRANZ MAT- THAS, a subject of the King of Saxony, residing at Dresden, in the Kingdom of Saxony, in the German Empire, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Carriage-Poles, of which the following is a specificatiom It is usual with coaches, light carts, and the like to fasten the breeching to the cross-arms rigidly secured at the front end of the pole. In the case of heavy carts and wagons a singletree is sometimes employed instead, likewise attached to the front end of the pole. This arrangement, however, has a serious drawback, for when the carriage stops suddenly the horses have to beara severe strain on legs and neck, the consequence being that the skin on the latter especially becomes rubbed and chafed.

The subject of the present invention is a carriage-pole, according to which all the defects of previous constructions are overcome. The arms to which the breeching is connected are provided with a spring and so arranged that they can move backward. In this manner when the horses are suddenly pulled up the arms yield to a certain extent and the spring diminishes the shock.

The accompanying drawings show three forms of the invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of the front portion of a carriage-pole to which the new invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a front view of the device shown in Fig. 1, partly in cross-section. Fig. 3 is a section of the same, taken immediately in front of the cross-levers.

' Figs. 4 and 5 are plan and front views, corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2, of a modification of the invention; and Figs. 6 and 7 are like views of a second modification to be referred to.

In all three forms the end of the pole is provided with a cylindrical casing at, having a forked arm I) on either side. To each of these arms I) b a double-armed lever c d is pivoted, constituting the neck-yoke, one arm 0 of each lever being formed with an eye to receive the end of the breeching. The other arm 61 of each lever projects through a slot f in each side of the casing a and is here operated upon by a spring, which normally holds it at right 7' and nut i.

angles to the pole and against the rear end of the slot f, which positively stops or bars any forward movement of the lever or yoke section from the normal position transverse or at right angles to the pole. On the carriage stopping, however, the spring yields, so that each lever-arm 0 turns backward on its pivot.

Referring to the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 3, a spiral spring g, adapted to with: stand draft, is secured at its inner end to a bolt h, and at its outer end is a washer or plate The ends of the lever-arms (1 lie behind the plate j. If now the horses are suddenly pulled up, the arms 0 0 turn backward and the spring 9 is stretched by the lever-arms d d as far as the slots ff allow, when the vehicle then stops. It is here assu med that the horses are brought to a standstillsimultaneously. Theothertwoconstructions, on the contrary, provide for the case where the horses cannot be pulled up just at the same moment. Thus in Figs. 4 and 5 each lever 0 dis provided with a special spring arranged to withstand pressure. On the arms 0 turning backward on their pivots each spring will be compressed independently by its arm d. In order to prevent the two springs from becoming entangled with each other, it is well to provide a partition is between them. The swing of each lever-arm d is limited here also by the wall. of the slot f in the casing a and by the short pin Z, around which its spring is coiled.

In Figs. 6 and 7 a construction is shown in which, as in Figs. 1 to 3, only one spring is employed, adapted to sustain a draft. The front end of this spring, however, is here provided with a grooved pulleym, around which passes a short piece of wire rope 12, secured at either end to the lever-arms d d. When the horses are brought to a stop simultaneously, the lever-arms 0 will, as before, be drawn backward, turning on their pivots,

while the other ends d, turning forward, will 5 other lever-arm d on the side of the horse which stops will draw the rope 1;. forward, stretching the spring until the other horse also stops and so draws the lever-arm 6 back, aiding in bringing the vehicle to a standstill.

The lever-arms c d may conveniently be about ten inches long. The length must be such that even when the horses are, as is usual, harnessed up tightly at front and behind they are not thrown against the pole, but have plenty of room to move forward. This will prevent the shoulder-blades from being pressed and the hoofs injured, as frequently happens with other devices where the cross-bar as a whole is not longer than one lever of the double-lever system here employed.

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a carriage-pole, yoke sections having pivotal connections therewith, stops barring said sections from movement forward of a normal position transverse of the pole, and means holding said sections yieldingly against said stops whereby they are permitted to swing backward from said normal posit-ion.

2. In combination with a carriage-pole, yoke sections having pivotal connections therewith, stops barring said sections from movement forward ofa normal position transverse of the pole, and means holding said sections yieldingly and independently against said stops, whereby one may yield without affecting the other.

3. In combination with a carriage-pole, the lateral arms secured to the front of said pole, the yoke-sections pivoted to said arms, the casing secured to said pole and having longitudinal slots receiving the inner arms of said sections, and the rear ends of which form stops for said arms, and the spring within said casing holdingsaid arms normally against the stops.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

HERMANN FRANZ MATTHAS. Witnesses:

HERNANDO DE 801 0, PAUL ARRAs. 

